1. Field
The present invention relates to a pivoting gutter assembly which in the upward position gathers rain water. In the downward position it can be easily cleaned and remains protected under the eaves from snow and ice sliding from the roof.
2. Prior Art
Several patents address the requirement for pivoting gutters that collect rain water in the upward position and are accessible for cleaning in the downward position. In a few cases the gutter in the downward position is also protected from snow and ice sliding from the roof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,658 discloses a rain gutter made of flexible material. A mechanism is required to open the flexible gutter so that it can collect rain water, and fold it in winter to prevent it from accumulating snow and ice.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,718 covers a hinged support assembly for a rain gutter. It rotates about an axis close to the gutter's front edge, i.e. remote from the fascia, therefore exposed to snow and ice sliding from the roof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,435 describes a bracket, attached to the wall, which is equipped with a hinge screwed to the rain gutter. This installation is feasible only if the gutter has an essentially trapezoidal cross-section that provides a flat interface between the hinge and the gutter. Figures of the gutter assembly reveal the following limitations: the gutter requires to be drilled in order to interface with the hinge; attaching the hinge to a gutter with a half-round cross-section would be mechanically complex; the hinge axis is distant from the fascia so that when the gutter is in the downward position it is exposed to snow and ice sliding from the roof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,274,965 describes a gutter bracket assembly that includes a gutter bracket which rotates with respect to a fascia bracket by means of pivots located along the front edge of the gutter, distant from the fascia. The gutter is maintained in the upward rain-gathering position by a snap-fit mechanism. In the downward position, the gutter is exposed to snow and ice sliding from the roof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,347 discloses a flexible trough maintained in the upward rain-gathering position by a locking mechanism which engages the front edge of the trough, distant from the fascia. The hook which mechanically engages this edge is part of a cantilever that crosses the trough. After the trough has been folded against the fascia board, the cantilever remains in the path of snow and ice sliding from the roof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,706 describes a rotating gutter reinforced with multiple stabilizing rings. It is mechanically complicated because it requires the gutter to have sufficient axial rigidity to ensure uniform rotation over a typical length of 30 ft. The gutter remains exposed to snow and ice sliding from the roof.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,233,876 discloses a gutter suspended from hinges equipped with bearings. All bearings are interconnected by a shaft fitted with a worm gear. The gutter is pivoted by rotating the shaft by means of a worm gear either manually of with an electric motor. The system is mechanically complicated and costly.
The first six of seven pivoting gutter systems described in the quoted patents are maintained in the upward rain-gathering position by interlocking mechanisms that rely on friction and spring forces. Their installation requires an accurate alignment between the interlocking elements on the fascia and on one of the gutter edges. In the last five of these six systems the gutter rotates downward about the front gutter edge, distant from the fascia. Consequently, the gutter remains exposed to the snow and ice sliding from the roof.
The last two of the quoted seven systems rely on supporting the gutter on bearings and rotating it as a mechanical assembly comparable to a long shaft. This type of configuration requires very accurate installation procedures and is costly. None of the seven pivoting gutter systems described in the quoted patents are currently in production.